


Two Generals

by DragonaireAbsolvare



Series: The Imperial Garden [2]
Category: Original Work
Genre: F/M, Historical Fantasy, Romance, War
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-03
Updated: 2021-01-03
Packaged: 2021-03-13 17:54:36
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,810
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28532499
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DragonaireAbsolvare/pseuds/DragonaireAbsolvare
Summary: In the Winter Garden stood a pot of Canary Cereus, brought from the deserts of Yun’nen. A sunbird is intrigued by its unusual colours and spines.The tale of two generals through the aftermath of a war.
Series: The Imperial Garden [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2090055





	Two Generals

**Author's Note:**

> Warning- this is a het fic. That means, heterosexual or man/woman, so if you absolutely cannot stand reading it, you are welcome to go read my other fics. But if the pairing genders do not matter to you, read on- perhaps the fic may surprise you. ;-]

> In the Winter Garden stood a pot of Canary Cereus, brought from the deserts of Yun’nen. It was a rather drab, uninviting plant- tall and succulent, its flesh a dull yellow and covered in spines. The Cereus stood tall and proud regardless of weather, never blooming and forgotten by the gardeners, who preferred to take care of the delicate strangler orchids and tulip-roses.
> 
> For years, this cereus waited, until a ray of sunshine peeled through the clouds and warmed its cold tips. Again, spring came, and while the denizens of the Palace complex migrated to the brighter, livelier Summer Gardens, a lone sunbird came to chirp amidst the tulips. He saw that the Cereus had bloomed, and was taken aback by the bloody crimson flower- so fierce a jewel atop the spiny yellow plant.
> 
> The little bird seemed to realise that the Canary Cereus was not a plant he had ever seen before, and intrigued, fed from the flower. Enthralled by the forbidden nectar, the bird kept visiting the garden through all five seasons, waiting for the Cereus to bloom again.

* * *

**Two Generals**

The seventh year of Akh’wiir Yan’s regime.

Emperor Yan’s troops marched across villages, towns and cities, breaking through Yun’nen’s defences like white hot knife through butter. Yun’nen soldiers fell at every fort and bridge, village and town leaders were slaughtered in public and their heads staked on flagposts at the squares for all to see. The Akh’ne Dju army stomped on Yun’nen’s flag as they conquered inch after inch of enemy territory.

The troops of thirty thousand men were led by General Xan’iit Yozer, Great Akh’ne’s God of War. He was one of the youngest officers in the Imperial army, but his skill and capability had taken him to the rank of General. It was this man who was responsible for much of Great Akh’ne’s expansion during Emperor Yan’s reign.

The thundering beat of hooves racing across the plateau rung through great distances, warning the citizens of Capital Qunwi of the approaching Akh’ne Dju troops far before Yun’nen’s watchtowers glimpsed the terror that was their deep red flag. Yun’nen troops gathered their weapons and waited on the lower rampart of their fortress-city. Oil was poured into the moats, archers lined up in the second tier of ramparts and catapults waited on the bastions.

The catapults were the first to fire, sending rocks and balls of burning tar at Great Akh’ne’s army. General Yozer stopped his troops and sent the archers and shield-bearers to the forefront, and set up the Speared Shell defensive formation, and saw with his spyglass that Yun’nen had done the same. Their archers were protected by a wall of shields as well.

What followed was a bloody slaughter. Hours later, when the last of Yun’nen’s archers had fallen, the Imperial army marched over the bodies of their fallen comrades and headed to the lone city in the desert. Yozer sent twenty men to cross the moat and twenty others to shoot lines onto the fortress walls. His spy had informed them of double ramparts- a second dry moat with man-eating beasts between them.

As expected, Yun’nen set the wet moat on fire. Yozer was about to instruct his men to climb the lines when an arrow shot past them and snapped three of the ropes. His gaze travelled upwards, to the nearest bastion, and glimpsed steel-grey armour and a bright red plume. The archer was a Yun’nen General.

Yozer glimpsed this man again and again whenever his plans to enter the city were thwarted. Qunwi was guarded fiercely from all sides- their back door was a maze of traps that took out a hundred of Yozer’s men, and their front door was guarded like the gateway to hell. The moat burned unendingly, and the posts of the fallen were immediately filled. Yun’nen’s defence was astonishingly tight. It was three weeks days before Yozer realized their enemy’s plan was to guard the city’s walls with all their might until the Akh’ne Dju army grew weaker with hunger and the harsh weather, and then take them out.

General Yozer then realised what the caravan they had intercepted (and slaughtered) in the plateau was for. It seemed Yun’nen had sent summons to every major city in their territory to seek refuge in the capital- bringing crops and troops along with them- which was why Yozer and his men encountered so many abandoned cities and barren fields along their way.

It was a cunning plan- concentrating the population in their capital would serve as protection as well as increased defence, and they would have supplies to last for six months or so, much more than what the Imperial army had.

For days, the Akh’ne Dju army fought, attempting to put an end to the war by besieging the city. They could neither enter nor kill enough enemies to force Yun’nen’s surrender. The desert was burning hot during day and bitterly cold at night, unlike the mild, even temperatures of Great Akh’ne. They were not equipped to fight under such extreme temperatures for long periods and perhaps it was time to call for reinforcement from the East and the South. General Wamon was stationed at the Eastern coast, suppressing the rebellions that followed Yozer’s annexation campaign. Prince Akh’yan Muon was stationed in the Southern plains, which was relatively peaceful. In the end, he settled for sending an eagle to Prince Muon.

Half a month later, supplies were running short, and Prince Muon’s arrival was greeted with great cheer. Morale boosted, the Imperial army increased its efforts, their catapults taking down two bastions in three days. Yun’nen’s army rebuilt it with bags of sand- when Yozer’s troops try to climb the ramparts they discovered amidst a blaze of rapidly-spreading flames that it was coated in tar and oil. Moreover, there was something added to the bags of sand that reacted with the tar- and when the flames died down, the sand-rampart had melted into something that resembled stone.

At night, firecrackers attacked their camp and destroy several supply tents. In the morning, it was a constant battle of arrows and spears, of men trying to beat down great stone walls and men rebuilding them from the inside.

It was the longest seige that Yozer had led. He and the Prince were both surprised that their fiercest enemy happened to be the tiny Kingdom of Yun’nen, last of the small nations they had to seize before they unified the North under Emperor Yan’s reign. In the end, they called for more reinforcements from Sapha, the capital city of Great Akh’ne.

Six months passed in excruciating toil, and they succeeded in taking down the outer ramparts. Their spy in Qunwi was proving to be more and more helpful as Yozer received frequent reports of Yun’nen’s troops and their movements by pigeon-post. But all good things had to end- which meant that Qunwi had arranged for someone to shoot any bird flying over the city. The capital fed itself on rationed lentils and cooked bird.

Winter was setting in, and they needed to end the war before their troops collapsed in the cold.

One day, Yozer’s infamous luck dawned. Qunwi’s city gate collapsed under repeated bombardment. General Wamon had brought from Akh’ne Dju, his campaign in the Eastern coast having ended favourably.

“How hard is it to take down a single city?” He had asked.

Very hard, they realised.

The gate having fallen, the Imperial army stormed the city, only to face thousands of armed troops. Yun’nen had been training every man available with the time the ramparts had bought them, and the carnage that followed would haunt the Akh’ne men for a long time.

Yozer’s spy ran to their ranks, and revealed that the one in charge of Qunwi’s defence was the man with the red plume they had glimpsed so often: the Red General. Nothing much was known about the general except that he was young, brilliant at warfare and famous for his martial prowess.

Once they had entered the city, there was no rest- both armies fought in shifts, day and night, making their torturously slow way to the royal palace. On the third day, the palace was breached, and Prince Muon took the head of Yun’nen’s king.

The triumphant prince walked out to the square, holding the head for all to see.

“Cease to desist!” He demanded. “Your king is dead. We have won.”

..................................

On the eighth year of Akh’wiir Yan’s regime, the North was unified.

Great Akh’ne’s God of War, General Xan’iit Yozer, returned in triumph to the Imperial capital, bearing spoils of war. He was greeted with celebration, although it was muted when the country learnt that their Second Prince Akh’yan Muon had been killed in battle.

Immediately, the prince’s funeral was held in great ceremony, all rites performed on a golem to represent the body. After the customary one month of grieving, Emperor Yan held court where the royal women of the seized countries would be brought. It was custom for the Emperor to add the ones he liked to the Imperial Harem. The rest would be picked by the Princes and those remaining would serve as maids.

“My dear Yozer! What is the meaning of this!” The old Emperor exclaimed when he saw the three princesses from Yun’nen. They were bound very firmly with ropes, much to the amusement of those present. “These are women, not livestock! Untie them this instant.”

Yozer stepped up, but did not immediately obey. “Your Majesty, if this servant may- their queen committed suicide before we could capture her, and one of these princess was stopped in the attempt. Perhaps it would be more prudent to untie them _after_ they are taken into the harem.”

Prince Sein snorted. “That would be wise, Imperial Father. It’s too lovely a morning to spill blood, let alone the blood of gentle ladies.”

The Emperor pursed his lips and glanced at the demure-looking women. “I think not. They have been divested of any weapons, yes? Untie them.”

Yozer complied, slashing the ropes with his word. The old Emperor raked his eyes over the three women.

“I think I’ll have the short one.”

Of the three girls, the chosen one was very young, with sweet, delicate features and radiant beauty. The other two were looked bland in comparison. But when their exquisite relative had been escorted away, the First Prince Bi-aol chose the prettier of the two.

The remaining princess was very tall and sturdy-looking, and her honey-coloured skin had been marred by scars and bruises- a fresh stitch on her shoulder peeking out from under her robes. It was not to say she was not good-looking, on the contrary, the sharpness of her haughty amber eyes suited the angles and hollows of her face very well.

Prince Bi-aol put into words what everyone in the court was thinking- “No one would want this one, she’s too proud. We’ll make her a maid instead. Who knows if she’s even pure?”

There was a murmur of agreement before Fourth Prince Sein frowned and said that he would take her as a concubine.

Once the four living princes had their turn, the Emperor called for Yozer. He was the hero in this endeavour after all, and deserved something. And unsurprisingly, the General denied, as he did every single time. As usual, the Emperor picked the best-looking of the remaining girls and sent her to the General’s mansion, where she would live amongst others like her. And as usual, the General ignored this growing collection of women he had no interest in.

..................................

Two summers later Emperor Yan fell severely ill, and there was a bitter and bloody battle for the throne.

Prince Bi-aol had been slowly poisoning the Emperor, and once the great Father’s health deteriorated beyond recovery, the Crown Prince had no need to hide his intentions.

With the Emperor’s favourite, Prince Muon, already out of the way, only the Third Prince stood before Prince Bi-aol and the throne. The Fifth Prince was known for his hot-temper, so with a little manipulation, the crown Prince got the Third and the Fifth to kill each other. The Fourth posed no threat to him- being an idler whose mind was on naught but earthly pleasures like fine food, arts and women. Bestow a title upon him and move him to a mansion in the capital, and no harm done.

Then the Emperor passed away, and the Empire of Akh’ne Dju spent a month in mourning. On the last day of mourning, Yozer went to the Crown Prince’s study and slit his throat.

It had been part of a quiet coup- for Bi-aol was too headstrong and bloodthirsty to maintain the peace Emperor Yan had achieved. What they needed was a lackadaisical, obedient Emperor who could be easily manipulated, and the Fourth Prince Sein was crowned.

.....................................

Spring came with the Festival of Winds and the Midrose banquet.

It was the first year of Emperor Sein’s rule, and Akh’ne Dju had settled into an easy harmony. Neighbouring kingdoms heard of Great Akh’ne terror army and sent envoy after envoy of peace offerings- vases, trophies, exotic foods and exquisite beauties. Being the gracious and pleasure-loving ruler, Emperor Sein accepted them all, and so, on the Midrose Banquet, forty seven beauties were seated on either side of the Emperor.

Yozer’s eyes automatically scanned the women for the princesses from Yun’nen. Emperor Sein had courted scandal by taking in the previous Emperor’s favourite consort- Princess Aixi, the youngest Yun’nen princess, who had grown into one of the loveliest beings to walk the earth. She was now the new Emperor’s favourite, and enjoyed a position to his left. The seat to his right belonged to the Empress, and no matter how beloved a consort was, she would not be allowed to sit there.

The middle Princess must have been sent out of the palace along with the late Prince Bi-aol’s other concubines. The oldest- Aiti, if Yozer remembered right, was at the far end of the line of mistresses- clearly out of favour.

What a pity, Yozer thought. The princess was nearly unrecognisable under the thick layer of rice-paste and rouge covering her face. Her amber gaze swept the hall periodically, and tensed when she noticed him. The general nodded once to show his respect and turned to his meal, although his eyes couldn’t help but drift to her again and again.

Emperor Sein was nothing if possessive over his women. He could lose his head for looking at one for too long.

And yet, Yozer could not keep his eyes off her- with the ridiculous hairdo of five pins of blue and red Anjelaise beads. His lips curved into a smile as an old verse popped into his memory.

> _“Five were his azure crests, splattered in sanguine flow  
>  Triumph bellowed from his breast, as the Teranken3 mauled his foe.”_

Most would misunderstand the significance of the colours- after all, the Akh’ne Dju flag was crimson and navy-blue, perhaps the lady had been a little off-shade?- but Yozer recognised the proclamation. The Teranken only raised its crest to show domination- and the azure splattered with red was a reference to the entrail-tearing Teranken of an old poem.

The very next day, he was accompanying the Emperor to the Summer Garden to join the others in flying kites. An easterly breeze lifted the hand-painted kites, most of them in the shape of hawks or the spade-tailed Kuor4. The minister of finances handed the Emperor a gold and navy-blue Kuor kite, and Sein smiled, reaching out to wrap an arm around Consort Aixi’s waist. The couple ambled away, their kites flying high, and Yozer was free to roam around.

It was one of the rare occasions in which the ladies of the Imperial Harem were allowed to venture to the outer palace. He found Princess Aiti under the Red-Flame tree5, dressed in golden-yellow robes- a show of national pride that, amongst those present, only Yozer recognised. Yun’nen’s flag had been crested with a golden-yellow sun.

He headed over, casually leaning on the trunk. “A lionfish speaks with his colours.” He said.

The princess threw him a thinly-veiled glare. “Then it would be a pity if he were blue.”

“His brightness shows well against the corals.”

“Corrals indeed.” The princess sighed. “Is General Yozer not flying kites to-day?”

Yozer shook his head, though he kept his eyes trained towards the courtyard where the Emperor and his entourage were engaged in a game of kite-cutting. “A panther does not catch mice.”

The princess’ lips curled. “And it is kittens who do, yes?”

He inhaled sharply. Did the lass want to see him beheaded? He was not going to reply. Yes, not replying was safest. One could not count the number of potential ears within the palace.

* * *

**Author's Note:**

> 1\. Yarns: A unit of area measurement. One yarn is about fifty square miles.
> 
> 2\. Akh’ne Dju: Dju means Great, so the country is named Great Akh’ne. This will be used interchangeably.
> 
> 3\. Teranken: Fictional three-legged bird with clawed wings and horns at the end of its jaw to maul creatures.
> 
> 4\. Kuor: Fictional amphibian creature. It is shaped similar to a toad, but has large pillar-like limbs that it uses to crush prey- mainly crustaceans- before eating them. Fan-shaped or spade-shaped tails allow them to swim.
> 
> 5\. Red-Flame Tree: Local name for Delonix Regia.


End file.
